Bobby’s feeding skills

Introduction

We have written this information to help and encourage children to to improve their feeding skills.

Bobby’s Top Tips

If your child is weaning:

• It is important for your child to: get messy, use their hands and take food to their mouth. Do not overly clean or wipe mouths and fingers during meals.

• Let your child close their lips on the spoon rather than wiping off on the bridge of their mouth.

• Let your child hold one spoon or fork while you feed them with another.

• Do not give up if your child does not like something offered, it can take lots of attempts.

• Keep mealtimes fun. Do not get too worried otherwise your child will too.

• Include your child in the preparation of food, touching food, opening packages etc.

• Encourage good sitting posture with feet on floor or supported on a stool/box.

• Let your child touch and smell new food without any expectation of tasting it.

• Provide choice of two new foods to try.

• Find out the best time of day for your child to try something new, (either breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner) when they are most agreeable, hungry, willing and awake.

Activity ideas to help develop feeding skills through play

• Messy play with food (e.g. coloured spaghetti, mixing chia seeds with water, dried cereals, rice, beans etc.).

• Make a funny face out of food.

• Play games with your child lying on their tummy – this will strengthen their back and core which is essential for good sitting balance.

• Any activities that require your child to kneel, squat or sit to stand are also helpful.

Should you require additional support please consider a referral to our team:

Community Children’s Occupational Therapy

Level 3, Regent Point, Regent Farm Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE3 3HD

Tel no:  0191 282 3452

Information produced by the Community Children’s Occupational Therapy Service
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust